I am currently writing a book. nothing big now but i hope to get there. I'm stuck on villains. so i decided that maby we could have some fun with this topic!

If you were a evil overlord or dark king, what would your powers be and (if you have any) what creatures would you choose to be your minions.

That's not specific enough for asking for advice. o.O
You sure you have his personality, his story, his... everything else?

The ultimate evil character would be one that has never before been seen in fiction: one that is loved by all. He is indubitably evil, yet holds the majority opinion in sway. Just thought that it'd be interesting for such a person to walk into a tavern after dispatching a hero of light and have the people cheer him.

Of course, such a character would never be the true villain, but a side character with quirks. Just a thought that I've had in my mind for a while...

A Villain, eh? A serious villain allways has to have a special laughter, creapy funny or just strange. I guess my villain would have like "Greh-Ha-Ha-Ha-Haw". As for special power... none required, the best villains allways have a great plan rather than haveing great powers. The minions would mostly machines, undead, golems, elementals and other things that are easy to comand and manipulate aswell as loyal and does their work for free. He would have some sort of weapon, like a gun, sword, invention or something like that, that only seems effective and intimidating when used on side-characters, but is really worthless when faced with the "hero".

Those are the main guidelines that you need for making a good villain, the rest is up to imagination.

The Ultimate Evil Overlord that I can think of would be Hillary Clinton with her army ot Tribbles. It makes me nervous just thinking about that. If not Tribbles, then maybe the Cutie-O's (?) from Fairly Oddparents...(yes, I have young kids).

Actually, that has been seen, just not a true villain. It just hasn't been taken to light exactly in that way. You have a few different types of that that have been seen. The neutral rival to the good guys, a secretly evil citizen (officials and royalty count as citizens), and the completely controlling overlord.

It wouldn't be that hard to convince people that you're the good one if you give them only what you want them to hear. Look at Hitler, he convinced a nation that Jews were the cause of all their problems. With a little re-writing, you could have what you just explained. Replace the Jews with heroes, and you're good to go.

On second thought, I'm pretty sure that's been done before, the way you described it. There are a lot of books out there. It is however uncommon.

As for my favorite type of villain, I've always liked the guy that was a rival to the good guys, and slightly chaotic. For lack of a bigger villain, he generally gets the title.

I was always more fond of the villains that didn't realize they were villains, The kind who do what they do because they believe they are right (think Magneto from Marvel comics) or think that they are in fact doing the right thing (can't think of a good example off the top of my head.) You know, the kind of ambiguous figure that you defiiately don't want to win, but can't help not wanting them to lose either.

First of all: I'd do everything the evil overlord list says.

Second: I'd have a cruel, sinister, high-pitched laugh.

I would have a relatively small but powerful army but ally myself with several much larger (equal or lesser in strength armies) nations and manipulate them into doing my bidding. That way it would make my forces more diverse and give the writer more to work with.

Gar' nack. Warlock of the undead muffins.

I'm partial to the dramatic moment when the one you thought was an ally all along reveals his true nature at the worst possible time. The slick, charismatic one who becomes beloved friends with the hero and/or hero's band of adventurers and when the goal is in sight, betrays them all to create a scene of intense anger and bewilderment. A villain of this type doesn't even need any powers.

Or if you prefer the more obvious villain, brute force, to me, means they're not the brightest bulb in the closet. Some kind of power that the hero couldn't possibly face without help is needed but also something more subtle. Telekinesis and mind control maybe? As for minions, if you were to follow the whole mind control thing, maybe the villain brainwashed a millitary leader and so the entire force must now follow him.

Im over joyed at how this turned out! not because you guys gave me the exact villain in my story, but because you guys have demonstrated intelligence! it might be a bit off topic, but i have to say that it would seem most of you guys are familiar with complex thought and reasoning. last time i posted something like this at a deferent forum i got answers that would make any one with any knowledge of how to construct a plot pull out their own hair. intelligent conversation is refreshing.


now more specific questions

Is your villain a loner, groupy, or boss of a big army?

does he seek power, knowledge, vengeance, "justice", glory, wealth or other

and what are his tactics? infiltration, charge head first, let the minions take care of it or other

extra (one that many people forget) what company does your villain keep, are they advisers, underlings, or non at all.

If I were a dark overlord, my power would be to kill any animal within half a mile of me. (Except myself.)

Yeah, we're all pretty intelligent when we feel like it. Most of us aren't your average forum-goer.

Hmm, definitely loner. I really liked Vincent Price's character in "The Last Man on Earth" Alternately, perhaps the leader of a small group of a comando-like nature. Like I stated in my previous post, I like my villains to think they're heros, so (to them at least) their goals and motivations would be something they think to be of benefit, like maybe the restoration of the natural world or something (at the cost of humanities domination of the planet perhaps, just an EXTREME example), or maybe they feel the current social structure is too corrupt and no longer serves its function (maybe they see themselves as freedom fighters instead of terrorists). But all in all I like an honorable villain with a code of ethics (even if their ethics only make since to them).

One who can warp time and Space at will... (Think Hiro fromHeroes...).


If you have a problem, go back and unproblemize it... Like shooting the Grandfather of the Main Hero.

Big Army, too many plot holes in one super villain. You need plenty of ancillary characters so both sides can have devastating losses adding to the over all realism of the book.

I like one that's motives are unclear, everyone wants to know the villain's motive it is important to any plot. If you reveal it at the start the villain becomes drastically less interesting but if he has no motive other than being evil for the sake of evil it makes him generic and you don't want that.

All of the above. A good villain knows how to use different tactics for different situations. One that uses a mix of closed door polotics, brute force, and espionage is for more compeling that one that relies on one tactic.

He keeps the company of his top general and diplomatic adviser with him at all times. They always follow one arm length behind on either side of him. He is never alone and is often spotted socializing with leaders of his allied kingdoms.

Going with my previous post of the ally-who-is-really-a-bad-guy.

How about a high-ranking cohort of the obvious villain. But masquerading as the likable hot shot of the hero's party until just the right moment.

Depending on the setting, power or wealth would do, power seems more like something for a fantasy setting.

Infilration naturally.

The heros! The moment the heros find the relic of power the obvious villain was looking for, the ally-who-is-really-a-bad-guy escapes behind the lines of minions with the item as the heros look on in disbelief!

Mr. Shadow, do the evil forces then skip getting their asses kicked and go strait to the the dramatic escape?

Power balance between the hero(s) and villain(s) is different in every story. In the case of the one I am attempting to describe, the villainous forces are not so easily fwoomed.

Okay, if we're talking what villain I would be?

I would be a plucky yet unlikely lower class person. Perhaps a peasant or escaped slave. I would be sure to bring along a comedic sidekick.

Sure, I wouldn't have a lot of villain cred but according to fiction, I'd be unstoppable.

If you're asking what kind of villain is interesting, that's a completely different matter. Personally, I like the ambiguity in my villains. I like them to be broken people interested in breaking other people. Of course, unremitting evil or generic Because evil is the single most boring thing there is.

Very few humans are so shallow. We all have passions and interests besides villainy.

I'd have to say a power hungry maniac who is suttle and ingenious, he would have many allies and have known the Hero before he became evil. He would turn the entire community/country/world against the here and slowly convince his 'allies' that they must destroy the hero and any who are associated with him, and finnally show his true colors with his secret army of robots made from a computer virus, and a hunchbacked assistant who is actually his father, gotta have one of those.

alright, I've got a basic idea of were every ones at. you can continue to answer the previous questions if you have not yet posted.

next set of questions

how much power does the villain start out with in the beginning? is he a king trying to crush a rebellion, or a rebel himself. is he rich, or is he just very cunning? (or both, some writers tend to forget that an evil force that is both wealthy and cunning is twice as daunting as any one of those by its self)

is your villain known to all (at least the heroes) or does he wait to reveal himself when it most adds to his advantage, and if so from which shadow does he spring? (a mock villains, an allies, or perhaps the heroes own shadow?)

How far will your villain go to accomplish NON-ESSENTIAL tasks? example, the villain (a leader of a large country) suspects the hero is hiding in one of his major cities (this city holds a wealth of resources for the villain). does your villain bomb the city to hell hoping to take the hero with it or does he take a more tactful approach, or does he just wait for the hero to make his next move before acting?

extra, what are your villain's minions and why do they fallow him? (a villain is made several times deadlier if his minions are eager to accomplish his goals.)

For a realistic villain, look to his actions that aren't related to the hero.

If he's a maniac, why hasn't he been overthrown? What powers or skills keep him in charge? After all, he's evil. His minions aren't going to be that scrupulous.

brilliance and madness are two sides of the same coin. look at Hitler, no one rebelled against him, what if this guy is even better at what he does?

He is a cunning social maverick. His nation wouldn't even qualify to be a city by traditional standards. His power is in diplomacy and espionage.

He is known and loved by all, in the eye of the people the hero is the villain. All races tell stories of the hero's evil campaign to destroy the stabilizing element of their alliance and how he must be stopped at all costs

He won't sacrfice anyone he has sworn to protect however he will shut down the city and all people to leave through one exit and have allied forces secure the city (welds the sewer lids down even). The only way the hero could escape would involve a mass killing spree making are hero look even more evil.

He only has a relatively small number(but very powerful) devoted followers, the rest of his army is loyal to their nations.

For me, I say that the best way to create a villian is to take some of the qualities of your hero and make them extreme. Let's say your hero is honest, but kind. Make your villian honest, but extremely blunt, not caring who he hurts in the process. It adds a depth to the character since most villian's tend to lie all the time. Instead give them a quirk and then make sure they're over the top.

I played City of Villains for a while, and I created my own little villain that I'm proud of He's basically the evil twin brother of the green-giant or Captain Planet, either one of them really fits. He has the power to bend nature to his will, and prefers to raid flower shops and plant nurseries. He is definitely a loner, height 3 foot 9 inches, and prefers to use hit-and-run tactics rather than up-front-force, but he is capable of devastating melee attacks like thorns that go right through your body. Of course, he is able to grow Venus fly trap man-eating type minions very quickly by will that can overwhelm the strongest heroes.

As far as the story I am attempting to sculpt. The obvious villains power could be anything, he/she could be the oppressive regime, leader of an underground villany network, whatever fits the context of the story.
The obvious villain is, as his title suggests, known to all, the one I was describing earlier is passing as an ally to the hero(s).
Maintaining his charade until the main goal is in sight is paramount for this villain, minor opportunities must be passed up, even if it means the death of a fellow minion to keep the disguise convincing.
The villain in question has no minions of his own, at least not while a part of the heros party, the obvious villain should have a legion of followers more or less after the same thing, power and/or wealth, that said, they may desert if the situation is hopeless.

The villain type I've been describing would almost certainly started out as a hero, but after some traumatic event would "see the error of his ways" (again think of a guy who's desided that the current social system is entirely to corrupt). His followers would probably be a mix of: like minded individuals who are loyal because they believe as the villain does, and the rest being made up of whoever was willing to help out (like someone who just sees a way to profit from the villains undertakings)

As far as non essential goals, I think it would depend on the specific situation (given I like my villains to be more like a confused hero than a cliche' villain.)

As to from which shadow does he spring, the least expected one.

i think the worst, so then, best type of villain would be powerful maybe not even known at first how powerful since if you do not know to what end their power/influence is then do know there is an end. and of course they would have to be smart, or at least quicker thinking than the people around him/her.


like before, people are afraid of what they dont know. for example: you could have the hero try to thwart a government, so they would try to topple the ruler, but maybe the ruler doesnt have the real power over the country. and the less details you know about the villain the more you are to fantasize and question their true power or intentions


it would really depend on the villian and how it would best suit their character. and also on the hero or situation. if i were trying to kill the leader of the rebels for example and i was a crazy ass emperor then of course i would bomb the city, but if i was a smart intelligent (evil) leader, i would flood the city with propaganda against the rebel faction, shut down access to the city and then restrict or tax certain items only needed by the rebellion like steel for weapons or medicine for injuries due to combat.


the best kind of minions are those that follow with out questioning either if it be for their country, religion, magic, or other means. the best kind of minions are those that the hero would think twice about hurting but they (minions) would not.

but thats just my take on it

If you want to see an exceptional range of Villain work, read George R. R. Martin.

He has the soulless, mindless monsters to the ambiguous intellectuals and everything in between.

if the villain thought with some certainty that the hero was hiding in a bunker, which also had the villains best "friend" or allie in it, would he order the destruction of the bunker, send in minions, or wait for the hero to make his move (if hes even in there).

So the villain has a secret hideout... and -suspects- that the hero is there? Then it would be pretty paraniod to self-destruct it.

A good villain has no friends nor allies, only minions.

So if the villain suspects that the hero is there, then he should send minions to search out and destroy the hero, ordering full alert if they even see a suspicious footprint.

its not the villains bunker, its just a bunker, and a very skilled (like top of the line) Minion is in their, your best one. But your not sure he's ( being the hero) in there and if he is he may have set a trap for your minions (being realistic, minions are not an endless resource) what risk do you take?

I'm guessing my villian is a loner who relys on his mind slaves to help him, he uses the country untill it's hated and useless, then moives to the next, spreading hate of the hero and his allys and fight them.
He would be completely sane, exept for his disturbing hate for the hero, who he thinks betrayed him somehow.....
He would have two or three guards that he knows on a personal level and trusts a bit.

I'm guessing my villian is a loner who relys on his mind slaves to help him, he uses the country untill it's hated and useless, then moives to the next, spreading hate of the hero and his allys and fight them.
He would be completely sane, exept for his disturbing hate for the hero, who he thinks betrayed him somehow.....
He would have two or three guards that he knows on a personal level and trusts a bit.

A villian who would not hesitate to use his most powerful weapon at the first chance he gets, who portrays a mirror as his ultimate weakness (in public) so when the hero attempts to use it on him it won't do anything, who would not give the hero a fair chance -- ever, who makes sures that his minions knows the difference between a close range weapon and a long range weapon (gun = person far away, knife = person next to you), and who hires bounty hunters who kill for money not for the thrill of the hunt (because that is just stupid...).

As for a power... ability to surpress the power of ignorance -- because that is always their downfalls, I mean, how many times has a villian failed because he did a monolog?!

not as many as there should have been. a heroes greatest weakness is siting through a monolog

Most heroes use that time formulate a plan though and it just so happens the evil villain notices the hero found a way turn the tables right after his speech ends.

Like doctor evil, he knows EXACTLY how a stereotypical villain would act.

Ahh, Verb nice idea on the villain models by R. R. Martin

Who did you have in mind exactly? (ps can someone teach me how to do that kind of censor whenever youre text has spoiler content?

You have a great selection of them. You have the anti-hero type (Tyrion Lannister) who plays the part of the villain out of bitterness and conflicting loyalties. You have Jaime Lannister, the blithely arrogant villain who simply does not care what others think or do, confident in his own superiority. Actually, the whole Lannister family is basically a collection of different types of villain.

Then you have the monsters like the Hound and the Mountain. The sublimely subtle and ultimately ambiguous in Littlefinger. Hell, you can even get a villain out of Stannis Baratheon if you squint a tiny bit.

Realistically, each and every character in those books could come with a couple of paragraphs attached.

Alright next set of questions is

what is your villains specific power and how does he employ it?

what does your villain where, armor, suit, combat jacket? (the clothes make the man)

does he use weapons? if so which does he prefer?

extra, what is your villains right hand man like? (if he has one)

extra, what is you villains lair, aka head of operations like? (if he has one)


we are getting really close to actually completing villains! (its all part of my master plan)

Mine would have the ability of not rambling like said before and the Ability to lead and get people under his spell of 'perfection'.

The story would be set in midevil times, so most likely black armor with gold trim, dragon head helmet completly black, Gold trimmed red tabard with dragon symbol on it, leather boots and gloves,

Blood red sword with black crystal in hilt and reddish leather grip. He would also have concealed knives in every bit of his underclothes and such, with a Blood red Steel Sheild with, yes, a black dragon head.

Right hand man is his extra sword arm, with twin cutlasses he slices through his enemys with a vengeance(with help from his 4 followers who are guards/assassins of course)

He has a run down ghost village where his hellish demon minions listen to his every whim, his village was ransacked and considered to be haunted now, so no visitors.

Well of course he also has a secret lair as well concealed in a forest, made of magic and invisible to find unless you know where to look.

Ok, lets see...

Specific power... Superior Intellect and Uncomparable Evil.

Clothing... Casual, playboy robe.

Weapon... A big assed gun! Like a .44 Magnum.

Right Hand Man... 7ft tall, 400 lb musclepack. With metal hands! (Lost his original in a freak accident). Silly name, like Mr. Pound...

Lair... A fortress on the top of a mountain. Hard to infiltrate without being spotted before you even start thinking about infiltrating it.

I still like mine =D

Has anyone else noticed that, while heroes may come of almost any walk of life or template. The biggest villains are almost exclusively belonging to the high class, intellectual, cronie-using type?

I think Walt Disney once said:
Villains are the key characters in any story, because theyre the ones who stir things us in the first place, whereas the hero needs a villain to act.